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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. cue — a signal
  3. spell — letters
  4. chair — a leader
  5. can — to be able to
  6. cue — a hint
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. band — a music group
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — a tin
  11. ground — a position
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. tube — a container
  14. mate — a friend
  15. ground — the earth
  16. mate — a partner
  17. spell — magic
  18. tube — the underground
  19. band — a ring
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. cue — for pool
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. ground — crushed
  24. mate — to breed

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com